Suicide is a public health issue that concerns all of us. It is one of the reasons that many pediatricians get involved in pushing for stronger gun safety laws and teach parents to store any guns that they have locked, unloaded, with the ammunition locked elsewhere.

As you will learn, “reducing access to lethal means” is one of the first things you should do if your child is talking about suicide.

Is Your Child Talking About Suicide?

Although there are many warning signs of suicide, one is that a child or teen might simply starts talking about wanting to die.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), they might also:

Talk about feeling empty, hopeless, or having no reason to live

Talk about great guilt or shame

Talk about feeling trapped or feeling that there are no solutions

Talk about feeling unbearable pain, both physical or emotional

Talk about being a burden to others

Talk or think about death often

And it is important to keep in mind that instead of actually ‘talking’ about any of this with you, a parent, your child might instead talk about it with their friends, text someone, or post messages on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, or inside a chat room of one of the games they play.

What to Do If Your Child Is Talking About Suicide

So what do you do if your child is talking about suicide?

Get help as soon as possible.

“Asking someone about suicide is not harmful. There is a common myth that asking someone about suicide can put the idea into their head. This is not true. Several studies examining this concern have demonstrated that asking people about suicidal thoughts and behavior does not induce or increase such thoughts and experiences. In fact, asking someone directly, “Are you thinking of killing yourself,” can be the best way to identify someone at risk for suicide.”

Suicide in America: Frequently Asked Questions

While getting help might start with a call to your pediatrician, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is always available at 1–800–273–TALK (8255). Call immediately to figure out the best way to help your child, before they have a chance to hurt themselves.

about the Trevor Project, the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth, including a hotline, chat and text help service

about the Disaster Distress Helpline for “24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.” Anyone can call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.